I used to eat fast food a lot more as a kid, and loved it, but nowadays I barely ever eat it, and on the occasions I do, the only ones I'll particularly enjoy are McDonalds or Burger King, on occasion. KFC's kinda blegh. I had Wendy's in America once, and it made me want it over here...they have Root Beer over there, too. Aweshum.But, yeah, I still enjoy Fast Food, but the environment in the Restaurants puts me off a lot. Speaking of fast food, Subway doesn't really count, does it? I eat that quite regularly, and love it to bits. I get a pretty healthy sammich 'erry time.

Yeah. I've been eating at fast food places far less often, but the food at most places hasn't been as good as in the past. Who knows what they're using as ingredients to pad their food nowadays, or what the hell they're feeding the cows/chickens.

KFC used to be the food of the gods to me, but now it's pretty meh. Chicken nuggets haven't been juicy since they changed to "white meat". Burger King used to have the tastiest fries but now they suck.

immortalfrieza:Simple question, is fast food been tasting worse over the last few years for everybody, or is it just me?

As for me, the only thing I ever get at fast food is fries and chicken nuggets/strips, and the last few years around where I live the two McDonalds I live nearby both overcook the fries a bit most of the time, and even when they don't they are barely edible, while Wendy's has been doing "natural cut fries" that already tasted much worse than the actual peeled ones as it was, but then they started putting sea salt in everything instead of using real salt, and don't even get me started on the nuggets.

McDonald's and Wendy's used to be my favorite foods and would never be able to get enough of it, but the last 6 or 7 years or so something happened and things got gradually worse and worse until now, where I can't even eat 1 large fry or a couple of nuggets without the taste causing me to throw it out. The only fast food joint I'll eat at anymore is Dairy Queen, of all places.

2 IMPORTANT NOTES if you never liked fast food much to begin with, this thread is NOT FOR YOU! Also, this is solely about how the food tastes, this thread is not for complaining about how healthy the food is, nobody cares about that anyway.

The fact that fast food such as McDonald is designed to taste the same where ever you go in the world. I'd seriously complain.Myself, I don't eat from fast food chains because i don't trust the food for the above reason.

FOREWARD: I know the caveat of "It could just be that one branch". OK?

From my observations:

-KFC has gone from bad to worse (I flat out refuse to eat there now), -Pizza Hut is nowhere near as good as they used to be for reasons I just can't identify

-Wendy's...I dunno. Their fries and their burgers are very bland, but their chicken and Frosties are still quite good, maybe better than they were 10 years ago IMO. Still, I miss the old cheddar mushroom melt. The new one was like eating a regular Blandy's Burger with weird-grade nacho cheese on it.

-Subway can FUCK. RIGHT. OFF. I've contracted food poisoning three different times at three completely different Subways in the last 4 years. Small wonder Jared can keep his weight down if he has the drizzling shits all the time.For comparison, I've never once had that problem with any other sub chain.

-Taco John's only two things worth ordering on their menu: Potato Oles, and Churros.

-Jack-in-the-Box: It's identical to Old Hardee's (pre-97').

=McDonald's, Taco Bell, Arby's, Hardee's and Dairy Queen have remained largely the same for the last decade.Not much to say except that I miss the Volcano Box at Taco Bell, the Pick-5 from Arby's (whose prices has shot into the sky relative to what they give you in such a short time), and the Spanish Omelet Bagel at McDuggles.

+Burger King's regular burgers haven't changed a bit either, but their new fries and soft-serve ice cream took an ENORMOUS leap in quality during last year's changeover (they finally got rid of those weird Potato-Head Era fries, finally).+Chick-Fil-A, homophobia aside, these are my crack dealers. EVERYTHING is good, and consistently so.Naturally, there isn't one in driving range for me, but apparently they're moving back into my area soon.

I don't think so. However, recently I've just ditched KFC altogether for certain Charcoal Chicken joints and some home made food restaurants because I find KFC now bland in comparison to those. Could be because I have had too much KFC (though I used to only get it once a month) or my tastes have just changed.

Nazulu:I don't think so. However, recently I've just ditched KFC altogether for certain Charcoal Chicken joints and some home made food restaurants because I find KFC now bland in comparison to those. Could be because I have had too much KFC (though I used to only get it once a month) or my tastes have just changed.

Nazulu:I don't think so. However, recently I've just ditched KFC altogether for certain Charcoal Chicken joints and some home made food restaurants because I find KFC now bland in comparison to those. Could be because I have had too much KFC (though I used to only get it once a month) or my tastes have just changed.

I could eat popcorn chicken for the rest of my life and be happy.

Not me. I like variety. Plus a really well done lamb shank, black cod, duck or T-bone steak easily beat all the take away restaurants in flavour without a doubt.

For me it varies depending on the chain. I still enjoy Burger King and KFC as much as I used to but i feel McDonalds has lost something taste wise. I used to crave the occasional Big Mac but since my last couple of visits (almost a year ago now) I can't say I get that anymore.

As far as independant fast food outlets go thats a definate yes, the overall quality of the food seems to be slipping, I assume due to the owners sourcing lower grade ingredients in an attempt to rein in costs.

I've been subsisting on almost a nothing but fast food diet over the last three years (yay college) and I think my taste buds went on strike a few months ago. If the food is starting to taste worse I haven't noticed.

I've pretty much only ever eaten Pizza Hut on the fast food front. It might help that I've worked in two different Pizza Hut stores (one a delivery, one a restaurant) and still trust the food.

It should probably be remembered that the same chains are of different quality in different countries. Some of the things I've heard about US fast food, well... I don't exactly eat a lot anyway, but I don't think I would eat any at all in America. No offence to fast food lovin' Americans, but what I've heard doesn't make it sound like it compares well to what I'm used to.

Always depends on the chef or in this case employees. I know it's a lot more restricted now but depending on the workplace you actually can get some well cooked food.

The problem is that it is fuck all easy to screw up a kitchen and just as easy to screw up the cooking. Mixing cooking surfaces for foods, Not cleaning the grease, not ensuring ingredients are fresh.

Honestly, my way around it is to always order something that basically forces them to cook something from scratch. Be nice to em and ya might be shocked that some people will give ya something done right. May take a bit longer but if you get food that isn't going to taste like crap it is worth it.

EDIT: If I did have a complaint actually. It would be that fast food is too expensive now. I really mean that too. A standard combo is now costing up to ten dollars for a medium. That's pretty insane if you think about it.

I mean hell I get MORE food for less by going to other sit down/take out places like Baja fresh. I mean the only exception has been jack in the box and you can save a lot of money by just ordering the Ultimate Breakfast. I shit you not that little 2.50 dollar sandwich has more food in it than ordering any hamburger and it is more healthy and costs a lot less. And since chances are you order it during lunch they have to make it fresh.

I've noticed that the McCafe drinks almost always have a distinctly syrupy taste to them. For example, I ordered an iced caramel mocha that tasted like ice water with a bit caramel sauce. Mocha Frappe also have a distinctly syrupy taste to them. As for foods, Big Macs gave me food poisoning once so I've been staying away from McFood that isn't chicken based. At this point all I'll have from McDonalds are the spicy chicken sandwiches or, southern style chicken biscuit.

I like Taco Bell. Everything there seems fine and they have that one exclusive Mountain Dew flavor. Generally I'll get a Volcano Burrito from them since burritos are better than tacos (there, I said it)

Wendy's gave me food poisoning once so it's been a while since I've eaten there. Once again though, Spicy Chicken is what I used to get from there. Unlike McDonalds their spicy chicken was actually spicy and had a great flavor.

I hate Burger King. The chicken sandwiches are alright but I can't help but feel it's over-priced compared to other places. I like their sweet potato fries but I wouldn't touch any of their burgers.

Chick-Fil-A is a place that I like but just like with burger king, I can't really justify the price. I may get it once in a while but I can't afford to go regularly. I like Chick-Fil-A more than Popeyes or KFC (I hate both) because they emphasis chicken sandwiches which is the optimal way by which to enjoy chicken (my opinion).

Roy Rogers is my favorite fast food place! Sadly it's only available in Maryland, Virginia and, Pennsylvania (I think, there could be more or less locations). My favorite things to grab from there are the goldrush chicken sandwich (fried chicken breat/patty thing with swiss cheese, honey and bacon) and the Double-R-Bar Burger (a hamburger with ham on it). Their roast beef sandwiches are also really good. They're a bit expensive though which is the only drawback.

I've only been to Zaxby's once or twice. It's pretty good and I'd go back for more.

Sonic is a place I've only been to a couple of times and I don't really care for it. Where I live it's advertised all the time but the closest one is in Baltimore; roughly 2 hours away. Once I finally got to one though, I found the best thing about them is the insane number of drinks you can get and the 24 hour Breakfast menu (why the Hell doesn't McDonalds do that by the way!?)

I really like Bojangles...I wish there were more in the DC area than that one in Union Station. Chicken Biscuits all the way.

There's an Arby's nearby but despite me not disliking them, I almost never go there. I should probably give it more of a chance...

There isn't a Hardees anywhere near me but I remember it being basically being Roy Rogers for Virginia.

There used to be an A&W/KFC nearby but it went under. I liked A&W but it was a bit pricy. Could have been why it closed down...

Happened all at once for me. I left the states in 2003, and I remember the stuff still being edible... came back in 2007 and it was all limp vegetables and bad cuts of meat on bland white bread (also, the price had about doubled). Pretty much gave it up at that point.

McDolan's(Yes, I just called it that): Gotten worse. No more chicken selects, which were one of the few things I could eat there and not throw up. No McBites either, which is a shame. They tasted alright.

Burger King: Gotten worse. The axed the chicken fries and popcorn chicken, and the strips there are of okay quality at best. At least I always get them fresh.

KFC: Worse. RIP Popcorn Chicken. Service was good at the ones I've been to, but the fact they've cut out Popcorn Chicken really pisses me off.

No, not really. I don't actually eat fast food often (usually once a week on a Thursday night on the way back from a night out, if that), but I can't say I've noticed much of a change. KFC has always been a bit too greasy for me, McD's is average but fairly cheap, BK's has some delicious- if expensive- burgers and Subway is the tits.

Subway is basically the only one I'll go to out of my own, sober choice (I'll eat pretty much anything when drunk. I've been known to use the 10 second rule on pizza slices dropped in the gutter on a rainy night). Can't get me enough of those meatball marinara subs.

I noticed a drop in quality in the surrounding McDonald's a few years ago in that they made saltburgers. Seriously, biting into one was like biting into a salt lick. Or it's always been that way and my palate is just getting more refined.

The taste of fast food in general hasn't really changed much to my taste buds, but I eat at such places much less than before due to all the unsavory business practices and the processing their food may go through. Burgerville is only fast food chain I remotely trust now, but sadly not everyone here may get a chance to try them, since they're only found in Oregon and Washington. Seriously, Burgerville is the only place I can find so far that serves halibut fish & chips. I've eaten at finer restaurants that stick to cod (which is cheaper and more common) for the same meal.

solemnwar:I've only noticed a drop in quality with McDonalds. Mostly because it is almost guaranteed to make me feel sick. Which is a shame since it's the only 24-hr fast food place nearby. There's the Sal's, but it takes a while to get your food since it's all made from scratch, sigh.

A&W, on the hand, seems to have only gotten better since I was a child. They used to put a disgusting level of salt into their food, now it's actually a good amount. I love eating at A&W, too bad the nearest one is over a half hour walk away from me :/

jesus, only a mcdonalds/sals/a&w? do you live in the middle of nowhere, or is your area just very clean about what they eat?

i can personally go in a two mile radius from my house and be within 5 different fast food joints (if you include subway)

The Sal's and McDs are merely the ones that are 24 hours. There are more places to eat, like Tim Horton's (of course), Subway, Mr Subs, Santa Lucia, Gondola, a bunch more that I never go to so I can't remember the name of lol.

I should probably add that I live in the suburbs of Winnipeg, most of the space is taken up by homes, not businesses.

oh okay, i thought you meant as far as fast food goes, that was it lol.

and yeah, suburbs definitely have that effect, which i find almost funny, you'd think the fast food places would hoard all the land right next to suburbs or in an intersection between suburbs..

From the first bite of your burger to your last french fry, quality is the most important ingredient of all atIn-N-Out Burger. We don't freeze. We don't pre-package. We don't over-process. We just make things the old-fashioned way.

Our commitment to quality starts with our hamburgers. And our burgers begin with our patties. We make them from fresh, 100% pure beef. They are free of additives, fillers and preservatives of any kind. But the focus on quality starts well before we deliver our hamburger patties to our stores. We own and operate our own patty-making facilities in Baldwin Park, California and Dallas, Texas. Since we only serve burgers, fries and drinks, making a high-quality hamburger patty is everything to us.

In-N-Out Burger ProduceWe have always made every one of our hamburger patties ourselves using only whole chucks from premium cattle selected especially for In-N-Out Burger. We pay a premium to purchase fresh, high-quality beef chucks. We individually inspect every single chuck we receive to make sure that it meets our standards. Then our highly skilled, in-house butchers remove the bones. We grind the meat ourselves and make it into patties ourselves. These steps enable us to completely control the patty-making process and be absolutely certain of the quality and freshness of every patty we make. We've always made our hamburger patties this way.

In-N-Out Burger ProduceOur commitment to quality doesn't stop there. Our lettuce is hand-leafed. Our American cheese is the real thing. And we use the best available onions and the plumpest, juiciest tomatoes we can find. All of our ingredients are delivered fresh to our stores. In fact, we don't even own a microwave, heat lamp, or freezer. We even bake our buns using old-fashioned, slow-rising sponge dough. And we make every burger one at a time, cooked fresh to order.

Of course a great burger deserves to be accompanied by great fries. And In-N-Out french fries come from the finest, freshest ingredients we can find-potatoes shipped right from the farm. They're individually cut in our stores, then cooked in 100% pure, cholesterol-free vegetable oil. Our shakes are just as genuine. Because we know a real shake can only be made with real ice cream. At In-N-Out, that's the only way we'll ever make them. Because when all you serve is burgers, fries and drinks, doing things the old-fashioned way is the freshest idea of all.

From the first bite of your burger to your last french fry, quality is the most important ingredient of all atIn-N-Out Burger. We don't freeze. We don't pre-package. We don't over-process. We just make things the old-fashioned way.

Our commitment to quality starts with our hamburgers. And our burgers begin with our patties. We make them from fresh, 100% pure beef. They are free of additives, fillers and preservatives of any kind. But the focus on quality starts well before we deliver our hamburger patties to our stores. We own and operate our own patty-making facilities in Baldwin Park, California and Dallas, Texas. Since we only serve burgers, fries and drinks, making a high-quality hamburger patty is everything to us.

In-N-Out Burger ProduceWe have always made every one of our hamburger patties ourselves using only whole chucks from premium cattle selected especially for In-N-Out Burger. We pay a premium to purchase fresh, high-quality beef chucks. We individually inspect every single chuck we receive to make sure that it meets our standards. Then our highly skilled, in-house butchers remove the bones. We grind the meat ourselves and make it into patties ourselves. These steps enable us to completely control the patty-making process and be absolutely certain of the quality and freshness of every patty we make. We've always made our hamburger patties this way.

In-N-Out Burger ProduceOur commitment to quality doesn't stop there. Our lettuce is hand-leafed. Our American cheese is the real thing. And we use the best available onions and the plumpest, juiciest tomatoes we can find. All of our ingredients are delivered fresh to our stores. In fact, we don't even own a microwave, heat lamp, or freezer. We even bake our buns using old-fashioned, slow-rising sponge dough. And we make every burger one at a time, cooked fresh to order.

Of course a great burger deserves to be accompanied by great fries. And In-N-Out french fries come from the finest, freshest ingredients we can find-potatoes shipped right from the farm. They're individually cut in our stores, then cooked in 100% pure, cholesterol-free vegetable oil. Our shakes are just as genuine. Because we know a real shake can only be made with real ice cream. At In-N-Out, that's the only way we'll ever make them. Because when all you serve is burgers, fries and drinks, doing things the old-fashioned way is the freshest idea of all.

The sick thing about this blatant advertisement is that i once hit up a former friend of mine who worked at In-n-out how he liked his job. He proceeded to basically give me the exact same reply. It was the creepiest thing he ever did. It haunted me ever since. Him going into wide eyed detail about how he "hand leafs the lettuce"(wth does that even mean?) still winds up in my nightmares.

That being said their burgers are amazing. They treat their employees better than pretty much any other fast food place from what i hear from people that work there. I just wish their fries weren't disgusting, and the employees were a little less brainwashed sounding.

As for the OP: I agree. Fast food does taste worse on the whole. I've been noticing it too. Just another case of getting worse quality with a higher cost with so many things we all buy. Meanwhile corporate profits are at all time high and pay stagnation for employees.

growing up I had Burger King, Mcdonalds, Wendy's, Taco Bell and KFC. The only notciable change in quality I can tell is that Mcdonalds and Wendy's have TERRIBLE fries now, i asked a manger why they fries tastes so different when they first started tasting bad, they told me they started using a new, "healthier" oil. really the fries are like semi hot cardboard now.

In Mcdonald's case their milkshakes specifically the shamrock shakes are terrible too, they changed them and jacked up the price (for a smaller cup i might add) and now i just can't drink them. Wendy's frosties are still great but they also switched to smaller cups that cost more than the regular drinks.

but in all the places I go I've found some real gems on each one of these places menu, I work for KFC at the moment and the chicken strips, chicken littles, and grilled chicken are fantastic (I used to hate kfc, in fact I chose KFC as a place to work because I didn't like the food)

so yeah to me at least there are some poor things abut current fast food, but I like fast food more than ever now that I can get it when ever I want. still eat at at least one place once or twice a week.